The Most Nutrient Dense Foods Per Calorie
Leading a healthy lifestyle involves eating foods high in nutrients while avoiding empty, or suboptimal, calories. In order to identify the most nutrient-dense foods, we must look for foods highest in essential nutrients while being lowest in calories.
To create this ranking, we added all the daily values for the following nutrients:
Vitamins: Vitamins A, B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6, B9, B12, C, D, E, and K.
Minerals: Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, and Zinc.
Macronutrients: Fat, Carbohydrates, and Fiber.
All these nutrients added together created a new nutrient density metric that we call "Total Daily Value" or "Total DV".
Below are 15 of the most nutrient-dense foods, these include fresh herbs like parsley, and dark leafy greens like swiss chard, kale, and spinach. Also on the list are shellfish (oysters), organ meats (liver), mushrooms, peppers, green onions, broccoli, and carrots. For even more high nutrient foods see the extended list of less common foods rich in nutrients.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup chopped (60g) | 1 tbsp (4g) |
| 2634%DV (36 calories) | 1580.4%DV (21.6 calories) | 100.1%DV (1.4 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Parsley.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup (36g) | 1 leaf (48g) |
| 1337%DV (19 calories) | 481.3%DV (6.8 calories) | 641.8%DV (9.1 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Swiss Chard.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup, chopped (130g) |
| 1457%DV (28 calories) | 1894.1%DV (36.4 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Kale.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup, chopped (34g) | 10 sprigs (25g) |
| 534%DV (11 calories) | 181.6%DV (3.7 calories) | 133.5%DV (2.8 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Watercress.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup (180g) |
| 1077%DV (23 calories) | 1938.6%DV (41.4 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Spinach.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup, chopped (140g) |
| 1105%DV (26 calories) | 1547%DV (36.4 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Mustard Greens.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup shredded (36g) | 1 head (360g) |
| 394%DV (15 calories) | 141.8%DV (5.4 calories) | 1418.4%DV (54 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Green Leaf Lettuce.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup, undrained (248g) | 3 oz (85g) |
| 1383%DV (68 calories) | 3429.8%DV (168.6 calories) | 1175.6%DV (57.8 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Canned Eastern Oysters.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 slice (81g) |
| 3490%DV (175 calories) | 2826.9%DV (141.8 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Pan Fried Beef Liver.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup sliced (72g) | 1 piece whole (20g) |
| 407%DV (22 calories) | 293%DV (15.8 calories) | 81.4%DV (4.4 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Raw Cremini Mushrooms (Exposed To Sunlight Or Uv).
| Total DV in 100g | 1 pepper, large (3-3/4" long, 3" dia) (186g) | 10 strips (52g) |
| 367%DV (27 calories) | 682.6%DV (50.2 calories) | 190.8%DV (14 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Sweet Yellow Peppers.
| Total DV in 100g | 1/2 cup (10g) | 1 leaf (2g) |
| 336%DV (25 calories) | 33.6%DV (2.5 calories) | 6.7%DV (0.5 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Arugula.
| Total DV in 100g | 1 cup, chopped (100g) | 1 medium (4-1/8" long) (15g) |
| 406%DV (32 calories) | 406%DV (32 calories) | 60.9%DV (4.8 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Green Onions.
| Total DV in 100g | 1/2 cup, chopped (78g) | 1 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) (180g) |
| 443%DV (35 calories) | 345.5%DV (27.3 calories) | 797.4%DV (63 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Broccoli (Cooked).
| Total DV in 100g | 1/2 cup slices (78g) | 1 carrot (46g) |
| 439%DV (35 calories) | 342.4%DV (27.3 calories) | 201.9%DV (16.1 calories) |
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Carrots.
More Nutrient Rich Foods
| Acerola (West Indian Cherry) | 2850%DV (32 calories) per 100 gram serving | 2793%DV (31.4 calories) per 1 cup (98 grams) | 136.8%DV (1.5 calories) per 1 fruit without refuse (5 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Acerola Cherries |
| Amaranth Leaves (Raw) | 1734%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 485.5%DV (6.4 calories) per 1 cup (28 grams) | 242.8%DV (3.2 calories) per 1 leaf (14 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Amaranth Leaves |
| Radicchio | 426%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 170.4%DV (9.2 calories) per 1 cup, shredded (40 grams) | 34.1%DV (1.8 calories) per 1 leaf (8 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Radicchio |
| Dandelion Greens (Raw) | 1419%DV (45 calories) per 100 gram serving | 780.5%DV (24.8 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (55 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Dandelion Green | |
| Chicory Greens (Raw) | 694%DV (23 calories) per 100 gram serving | 201.3%DV (6.7 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (29 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Chicory Greens | |
| Endive (Raw) | 473%DV (17 calories) per 100 gram serving | 118.3%DV (4.3 calories) per 1/2 cup, chopped (25 grams) | 2426.5%DV (87.2 calories) per 1 head (513 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Endive |
| Collards (Raw) | 875%DV (32 calories) per 100 gram serving | 315%DV (11.5 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (36 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Collards | |
| Sweet Potato Leaves (Raw) | 601%DV (42 calories) per 100 gram serving | 210.4%DV (14.7 calories) per 1 cup, chopped (35 grams) | 96.2%DV (6.7 calories) per 1 leaf (12-1/4" long) (16 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Raw Sweet Potato Leaves |
| Chinese Broccoli (Cooked) | 299%DV (22 calories) per 100 gram serving | 263.1%DV (19.4 calories) per 1 cup (88 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Cooked Chinese Broccoli | |
| Jute Potherb (Cooked) | 493%DV (37 calories) per 100 gram serving | 428.9%DV (32.2 calories) per 1 cup (87 grams) | Get the full nutrient profile for Cooked Jute Potherb | |
Related
Data Sources and References
Try the recipe nutrition calculator, or daily meal planner.
Create a free account to log and track foods.